The present invention generally relates to warp knitted fabrics. It particularly relates to an open mesh structure with a stand-off design for athletic apparel.
When an athlete performs, perspiration from the athlete""s body may lead to a xe2x80x9cstickyxe2x80x9d feeling when the perspiration lingers on the skin surface. Consequently, many athletes wear mesh jerseys (e.g., football, track, soccer, hockey, etc.) that have open holes in the jersey fabric (open mesh design) allowing perspiration to escape from the skin surface through the holes in the athletic garment. These mesh jerseys and other garments provide greater personal comfort and a more breathable environment to the high-performance perspiring athlete. Many such open mesh garments are produced, for example, using warp knitting machines.
Warp knitted open mesh structures known in the art (such as the well known xe2x80x9cFootball Meshxe2x80x9d Jersey) are often constructed of, for example, at least two continuous filament synthetic yarns such as nylon or polyester. Such yarns may be carried, for example, by two guide bars of a warp knitting machine. The fabric may be stitched using a variation of the Atlas technique wherein both guide bars knit in opposite directions leaving clean holes in the fabric. Such clean holes may be created in the mesh design by using ground yarns that do not knit on the same needle therein leaving subsequent repetitive courses knitted without a connection between the two adjacent needles. The resulting fabric has the known open hole mesh structure. Commonly, the resulting fabric has a flat surface with a population of open holes staggered throughout but spaced equidistantly, while the non-hole solid closed portions generally comprise approximately 50% of the remaining fabric surface.
Despite the afore-mentioned moisture reduction qualities, the base of the open mesh jersey fabric still lays directly on the skin of wearer, often resulting liquid saturation of the jersey after perhaps minimal use. When perspiration occurs, the fabric may become heavier with sweat content, stick to the wearer, or otherwise cease to comfortable athletic apparel. Therefore, there is a need for an athletic jersey design providing greater comfort and breathability to the athlete.
The present invention overcomes the previously mentioned disadvantages by providing an open hole mesh fabric structure with a stand-off design. In accordance with the present invention, the open hole mesh fabric includes raised members positioned at a different height (depth) from the fabric base which effectively separates a major portion of the fabric from the wearer. The fabric may be knitted on a warp knitting machine having at least five guide bars, wherein one guide bar may be, for example, a Jacquard guide bar. A warp knitting machine including a Jacquard guide bar is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,210 to Mista et al., entitled WARP KNITTING METHOD, MACHINE, AND FABRIC MADE THEREFROM.
In accordance with the present invention, a traditional two-dimensional open hole mesh fabric is particularly knitted with raised members that stand at a different height than the fabric base on the technical back of the fabric. The raised members add a third dimension of depth or thickness to the fabric and are knitted in the solid areas between the open holes of the fabric located in the fabric base. Advantageously, the raised members are the only portions of the fabric which contact the fabric wearer during fabric use wherein the number of members are placed in a pre-determined, appropriate ratio with the number of holes located in the fabric base. These raised fabric members may also be referred to as xe2x80x9craised dotsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chigh-density support sectionsxe2x80x9d.
The three-dimensional fabric structure enables the ground structure or base of the fabric to be suspended from (i.e., stand-off) the wearer""s body thereby significantly reducing the surface area and volume of fabric material contacting the skin surface. The separation of the fabric base from the wearer""s skin provides a superior level of comfort and breathability to the apparel user. The comfort and convenience of the apparel fabric may be further enhanced by selecting fabric materials with hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. These advantageous materials include, but are not limited to continuous filament synthetic polyester and nylon yarn material. Also, chemical finishes and treatments may be added to the fabric to enhance apparel functionality.